Smarter. Medication. Management.

Vaccinations

The CDC considers vaccinations to be one of the top
10 public health achievements of the 20th century.1-3
Thanks to vaccines, the incidence, morbidity, mortality, and prevalence of
vaccine-preventable diseases have considerably diminished since vaccinations
became available. Unfortunately, while vaccines are considered safe and
effective in preventing illness, an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 US adults die
from vaccine-preventable diseases every year.4-5 In order to improve
the overall vaccination rate, it’s important we utilize all our resources.
Pharmacists are easily accessible and can be instrumental in providing patients
with pertinent information to help them make informed choices regarding
immunizations.

Pharmacists are also in a unique position to
identify those patients who are in target groups for certain vaccinations. They
may also be able to ease the fears of many patients by providing them with
facts such as clinical data and by dispelling common misconceptions and myths
about vaccinations; they can also stress the significant risks associated with
not being vaccinated.7

Tria Health was founded on the belief that
pharmacists play a vital role in the management of high-risk patients. With
Tria, you have the option of receiving a one-on-one private consultation with
one of Tria Health’s pharmacists over the phone. During your consultation, your
pharmacist will review all your current medications, including vitamins,
supplements and lifestyle habits. Your pharmacist will be able to answer any
questions you may have regarding vaccinations.

As National Immunization Awareness Month, August is a great time to learn about vaccines and make sure all of your immunizations are up to date.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children be vaccinated for 14 diseases during the first year or two of their lives (see the full recommended vaccine schedule here). Other vaccines are recommended for adolescents, adults and those considering international travel.

A Brief History of Vaccines
Before vaccines were developed, outbreaks of infectious diseases that are now vaccine-preventable – like smallpox, diphtheria and measles – were fatal, especially for children. These diseases created widespread fear and panic, and killed a significant number of those infected. But those who survived developed immunity, and were unable to contract the disease again.

In the late 18thcentury, the English doctor Edward Jenner used cowpox to develop a vaccine which created immunity against smallpox, similar to the way surviving the disease created immunity. Over the next 200 years, effective and safe vaccines for several other infectious diseases were developed, significantly decreasing the occurrences of these diseases (see a full timeline of vaccine development here).

How do vaccines work?
Vaccines are created using an inactivated or weakened version of the virus that causes the disease. This allows the immune system to prepare the defense it would need to protect the body from the infection-causing virus. Vaccines create immunity to the diseases they prevent, similar to the immunity developed from exposure to a disease. Even though many vaccines are developed using some version of the bacteria that causes the disease, you can’t contract the infection itself from the vaccine, making it safer than developing natural immunity (if you’re interested in a more in-depth assessment of how vaccines work, look here).

Vaccines don’t just protect individuals, either. If a large enough percentage of a group is immunized, the risk for any member of the group contracting the disease is reduced substantially. It’s called community immunity. If members of that group stop being vaccinated, instances of the disease increase significantly.

There are risks associated with vaccines, but the majority of them are minor (think a little bit of redness or soreness around the injection site or other minor discomforts). The risk of contracting a disease preventable by vaccine is usually much more significant than the risks of side effects. Prior to any vaccination, discuss the benefits and risks with your doctor or pharmacist.

What Vaccinations Do I Need?
The CDC produced a vaccination schedule for all to follow (the recommended schedule can be found here). Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions about your vaccination history or what vaccine requirements you have.